No Heat Wave, 'Normal to Below Normal' Temp in 96 Seats Voting Today: ECI

As voting takes place in 10 states and union territories today (May 13) in the 4th phase of Lok Sabha election, voters will have a sigh of relief as the IMD has forecast no heat wave today.

New Delhi: As the voting in the fourth phase begins on Monday, the weather forecast, according to the Election Commission of India, indicates that there will be no heat wave-like conditions in the 96 constituencies across nine states and one union territory voting today.

"As per the IMD forecast, there is no significant concern regarding hot weather conditions for the polling in phase 4. The weather forecast indicates that the Parliamentary Constituencies going for polls are likely to experience normal to below normal temperatures (±2 degrees) and there will be no heat wave-like conditions in these areas on the polling day. However, for the convenience of voters, meticulous arrangements have been made at all polling stations including facilities like water, shamiyana and fans," the ECI said in a statement on Sunday.

As many as 1717 candidates from 10 States and UTs are contesting elections today. The average number of contesting candidates in a PC for 4th Phase is 18. Among the prominent candidates in the fray are Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav (Kannauj, UP), Union ministers Giriraj Singh (Begusarai, Bihar) and Nityanand Rai (Ujiarpur, Bihar), Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Baharampur, WB), BJP's Pankaja Munde (Beed, Maharashtra), AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi (Hyderabad, Telangana) and Andhra Pradesh Congress president YS Sharmila (Kadapa).

The Election Commission has updated its turnout app since phase 3 and included the overall approximate voter turnout. "Since phase 3, voter turnout App is updated with a new feature of displaying overall approximate turnout live for each phase. It is pertinent to note that Phase wise/State wise/AC wise/PC wise approximate turnout data is available on voter turnout App live on two hourly basis on poll day till 7 pm after which it is continuously updated on arrival of polling parties," the ECI statement read.

As for the facilities for the voters, the Commission said that water, shed, toilets, ramps, volunteers, wheelchairs, and electricity are in place to ensure that every voter, including the elderly and persons with disabilities, can cast their vote with ease. "Voter Information Slips have been distributed to all registered voters. These slips serve as a facilitation measure and also as an invitation from the Commission to come and vote," it said.

Over 17.70 crore voters, including 8.97 crore male and 8.73 crore female voters are expected to exercise their franchise today. There are over 12.49 lakh registered 85+ years old and 19.99 lakh PwD voters for phase 4 who have been provided with the option to vote from the comfort of their homes. "364 Observers (126 General Observers, 70 Police Observers, 168 Expenditure Observers) for phase 4 of General Elections 2024 have already reached their Constituencies days before the polls. They serve as the eyes and ears of the Commission to exercise utmost vigilance. Additionally, Special Observers have been deployed in certain states," the ECI said.

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